How did Paul The Octopus do it? (World Cup 2010)
Sharing July 12th, 2010
The World Cup is finally over as of today. Feels odd, doesn’t it? No football matches to watch tonight? What are you going to do with your life, besides move on and do what you always did the other 4 years? 
Anyway, if you were following the World Cup this year, the name “Paul The Octopus” might have came up quite a bit. Interestingly enough, he has predicted all the World Cup matches quite accurately.
For those that don’t know:
Paul (hatched January 2008) is a common octopus living in a tank at a Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany, who is used as an animal oracle to predict the results of football matches, usually international matches in which Germany is playing. He came to worldwide attention with his accurate predictions in the 2010 World Cup.
During a divination, Paul is presented with two boxes containing food in the form of a mussel, each marked with the flag of a national football team in an upcoming match. He chose the box with the flag of the winning team in four of Germany’s six Euro 2008 matches, and in all seven of their matches in the 2010 World Cup. He correctly predicted a win for Spain against the Netherlands in the World Cup final on 11 July by eating the mussel in the box with the Spanish flag on it.[1] His predictions have thus been 100% (8/8) correct for the 2010 World Cup and 86% (12/14) correct overall.
Came across this image today (below), its a pretty interesting theory on how Paul the Octopus has been correct so far:
Heh. Magic? Octopus likes yellow? You decide. Then again, octopuses are color blind. Check out the link, and there’s also another theory about Paul preferring flags with contrasting stripes (the German flag has very high contrast).
Keep in mind also, that Paul is German, and historically, Germany has been pretty good at football over the years.
Probability wise, (from Wikipedia) “assuming Paul’s predictions were no better than fair independent coin flips, the probability of 12 successful predictions in 14 attempts is 91/1684 ≈ 0.56%” - A less than 1% chance.
Anyway, found this image today too.
Viva la Octopus Espanol!
Whether you believe in the logical explanation, or magic, or chalk it up to coincedence, this was probably one of the craziest World Cups ever - with goals that magically didn’t count as well as other mindboggling decisions by the referees, “extra goalkeepers” during the Uruguay vs Ghana match, a record number of yellow cards, And the vuvuzela. Seriously, the vuvuzela. Aren’t you happy you don’t have to hear it anymore?
Anyway, even though the World Cup is over, remember you can catch up on your favourite moments of all the matches of the World Cup - just check out this link (Bplayer). There were a few matches I missed, and this is really one of the best legal places to watch the World Cup online from here
Coming soon to this blog: Party pictures (like you expect), and some interesting emotional insights and confessions (that you won’t expect…)
Tweet and win this World Cup 2010 with Astro Bplayer!
Advertlets, Sharing July 7th, 2010
So there’s this new thing - the Astro Bplayer that we recently got to find out about through our first campaign with Astro. To launch it, they’ve got some very exclusive content that definitely has an audience…the World Cup 2010!
I can say that I haven’t always been an avid football fan, but this World Cup has definitely been of a lot more relevance, and I’ve found myself watching a lot more football, whether it’s at Kayu Nasi Kandar, Ecoba, Movida or even the Terrace Bar at Zouk…or just at home at my computer on Astro Bplayer! Especially since there are a record number of Asian teams in the World Cup this time. Well, they’ve all been eliminated now, but they were Japan, South Korea & North Korea (who got absolutely humiliated).
Here’s a short overview of the Asian teams in the World Cup (they are all out, but still, it’s a good read)
(That’s me in my Nike Team Korea jersey. Yes, I don’t know enough about football to form a decision, so I’m supporting the teams that somewhat look like us…)
Me in my Team Korea jersey. Yes, that's Lien from here :)
As someone working in marketing, I think its very cool that Astro is doing this - especially since World Cup broadcast rights are not easy to get (Singapore nearly didn’t get the World Cup rights this year!), and this is definitely a very good ‘preview’ to potential Astro customers. If you’re a Maxis customer like myself, you get special benefits (you get to watch even more live matches), make sure you link your account - here’s how you do it.
If you're a Maxis subscriber, do this! :)
Basically you can watch it from anywhere with an internet connection and a browser. I’m using Chrome btw. No special software required, but you do have to install the Microsoft Silverlight player (Microsoft’s answer to Flash - which actually does a better job of video streaming). From the URL bar, the videos are loaded from Akamai HD - which is a broadband video delivery platform.
Full screen shot of the Astro Bplayer. Notice that I have also blurred out my Chinese name on top, ahaha!
It streamed pretty well on my Streamyx connection (I’m just using a simple 1MB package), and I must say that it seems to have quite a smart adaptive technology - I turned on some heavy downloads (using up about 80-100KBps), and immediately the video quality dropped but the framerate remained
pretty consistent.
It’s free to watch for now, so make sure you drop by to check it out. You can also catch the recaps until the 18th of the month.
There’s a Twitter contest where you can win some really good prizes for watching while tweeting about the World Cup promoting Astro Bplayer along the way.
(Screenshot of instructions from the website)
Prizes include:
Prizes include a 42" LCD TV 3 laptops and RM100 movie vouchers (that's roughly 10 movies).
Give it a try. You never know if you might win it. I can’t join since I’m an Advertlets employee working on the campaign with Astro, but feel free to pass me the 42″ LCD TV if you win…
*Scene is dark. Lights come in, silhouetting both A & B*
B: It doesn’t go further than this, does it?
A: Our relationship is not doomed, it is merely not something that belongs to the future.
B: Nice quote. Are you summizing that this is as far as it goes?
A: How long can you spread out the emotion of a one night stand? A week? A month? A year? The remaining period of your lifetimes?
B: Are you saying that love is a game of chance?
A: I’m saying it is a game of skill. Perhaps love is a game, and the winner or loser depends on who leaves first.
B: That’s pretty sad.
A: Not as sad as the one left alone in the end.
B: There are people who are happily in relationships.
A: Perhaps we are not one of them. Or perhaps, you not with me. Perhaps one of them is forever compromising.
B: And perhaps maybe, some like you don’t deserve it.
A: I once believed in the idea of love. But seeing that it was futile, I chose to optimize it to my liking. To love, be loved, and be the first to leave each time.
B: You never know if you stay, what could happen.
A: You never know the pain it could bring if you weren’t the first to leave.
B: That’s negative control. That’s like saying, by committing suicide you are in control of your life.
A: Negative control is still control.
B: In that case, why bother getting in any relationship?
A: Have you heard that saying? “No one pursues pain for pain itself, but for the pleasure that comes with the pain?”. In this case, the optimal condition would be perhaps, pleasure for both of us for a time period of my choosing, and your pain after. Your pain, not mine. Perhaps, there needs to be an exit strategy for every relationship for it to be fully optimized.
B: What you’re saying makes sense in a way. But it just seems wrong on so many levels.
A: I wish you never come to the same conclusion as me. If you can embrace the fact that it was good as long as it lasted, you can free yourself from the feeling that it could be more. Good luck.
B: I hope to never lose so much hope, to think like you.
*Curtain closes, lights fade to black. End of scene*
“This may be a work of fiction. This conversation may or may not have happened. Nevertheless, be assured that some people do think this way, and I just wrote it down. And yes, the gender of A and B are vague for a reason. “
“Josh, you’re a man now, you’re 21. You can forget me and find someone else.”
Ask Josh!, Sharing May 13th, 2010
Sometimes when you look back and think of who you remember from your past, you start analyzing how it might have led you to the decisions you made, or the ones that you continue to make.
It kind of explains the ‘Korean hair’ I have. And why I’ve almost always dated older women so far. I’ve been deciding whether or not to write this for many months now, and I figured I should.
This is a story of my first love. Not my first girlfriend. When you grow up, you’ll understand that your first love and your first girlfriend are sometimes…different things with different people.
This is a story that I’ll share because I think it may be relevant to many people I know. Especially the part about what to do if someone pulls a gun on you. Yes, that’s in the story as well.
Actual 4th Generation iPhone leaked (w/ pictures & video)
Sharing, iPhone 4 April 20th, 2010
The latest iPhone has been reported in the wild, purportedly left at a Redwood City bar (camouflaged as a 3GS), and later on sold to Gizmodo for the price us USD 10,000. Gizmodo has broke the news, putting up no less than 3 videos as well as detailed specs of the machine.
It is interesting that Daring Fireball (a very accurate source of Mac rumours), has noted in a tersely worded blog post that “Apple considers the phone stolen” and Techcrunch mentions the implication that Gizmodo is in “possession of stolen goods”
Comparision of 3GS and ‘4G’ iPhone side-by-side (the new iPhone is the one on the left)
Noted features
- Thinner than 3GS
- Plastic/glass backing
- Front facing camera
- Back camera has a flash for photography
- Larger resolution “”It’s unclear if it’s the 960×460 display thrown around before—it certainly looks like it, with the Connect iTunes screen displaying much higher resolution than on a 3GS.”
- Larger battery
- Aluminium border
- Seperate volume buttons
Why the leak is very credible:
- Techcrunch and Daring Fireball are backing up the story, and purportedly know some details on the origin of the phone. Both seem to say that it is stolen.
- Runs iPhone OS 4.0
- Pops up iTunes when plugged in.
- Different product identifier
- Micro-sim (similiar to iPad)
- Internal components labelled Apple
Read more on Gizmodo, Daring Fireball, Techcrunch, NBC Bay Area
What do Josh Lim & Takeshi Kaneshiro have in common?
Advertlets, Sharing April 8th, 2010
This is obviously not Josh Lim
Guess what it is? We both use Biotherm Homme!
Okay seriously. That was a bit of a tenous connection, but now that I have your attention…
One thing that I’ve discovered about getting older - I actually have to take the effort to take care of my skin.
Unlike when I was younger, last time I could basically take it for granted that I’ll have nice skin la.
It doesn’t help that I’ve been sleeping later, clubbing and smoking more.
After getting past 23 years old, I’ve found that my skincare regimen can’t really consist of just splashing water on my face anymore.
Biotherm Homme was kind enough to sponsor me some products to try out, and I must say that they do feel quite nice on my skin in addition to working - my skin seems softer, and its been helping to smooth some of the skin imperfections I have.
Here’s my skincare regime:
First, I use the spa concentrate as a pre-skincare regimen. What it does is its supposed to prep your skin before scrubbing (to reduce redness).
Then you basically go through the 3 basic steps.
Cleanse, tone & moisturise. I cleanse using Biotherm cleanser, it has a nice slight scent to it. Cleanser basically does what it says la - clean. Then toner, which is to close up pores and remove leftover dirt. After that, the moisturizer. The purpose of moisturizer is essentially to tell your skin - “Hey skin! I’ve got you all nice and moist, so please don’t secrete too much sebum/oil so I look handsome okay? KTHXBAI.”
Wasn’t that educational?
If you have bad skin, you’ll be surprised how well a simple cleanse/tone/moisturize regime can work. A friend of mine, currently dating a girl that I introduced him to, used to have pretty bad skin. You could say it looked like pizza. She (quite image concious) made him do basic skincare, and its cleared up drastically. She is pleased about the improvement. (And they are still together as of now).
So guys, do take care of your skin. Because looking like a pizza face is out, and the media has more or less dropped the term “metrosexual”. If anything, if not for yourself, take care of your skin for better chances with the opposite sex…
About the people you consider your friends…
Ask Josh!, Sharing March 13th, 2010
Everyone could use a hug :)
Today I consoled someone. Someone very important to me that’s helped me a lot. It was the first time I had ever seen her cry. And it was odd, because I’ve always considered her a strong person that’s been through a lot of challenges from birth.
I won’t say why, or who, but basically, she was upset that some of the people she considered friends just weren’t there for her, and didn’t treat her like she felt they used to. She felt alienated and alone, even at a party with a lot of people that she thought she knew. People that she thought she could call her friends.
I’ve told her the following, but perhaps this is worth sharing.
Not all this points reflect particularly well on humanity or my view on it, but I have come to accept a lot of these viewpoints and it has helped me.
Because I don’t need to further wonder why people can be so terrible sometimes, I just accept that they are what they are, and work around it.
As a quote from the movie Alexander goes: “Sometimes to expect the best from everyone is arrogance”
Here’s what I believe to be true. Your opinion may differ, your mileage may vary.
- Interaction is different in groups than individually. In groups, people feel the need to assert their importance more. Don’t feel too upset or confused if your “friends” who always seemed nice to you seem different in a different social setting (especially one where there are people they need to suck up too. This is closer to their true self, and they are not real friends.
- Appearances count. As shallow as it is, surface impressions can provoke certain reactions from people or gain certain benefits for you. Be assured that your real friends will love you for who you are, but to cast a wider net isn’t always a bad idea. After all, if you only mixed with non-hypocritical people with good intentions, there wouldn’t be enough people to throw a party, or hang out with.
- As you ascend, so will the people who do not want you to ascend, increase in number. If you are not a threat, if you do not somehow get something that they could have gotten (or that they believe they could have gotten), they will not hate you. John Mayer said something before along this lines “I find it odd that there are so many people who hate me for having dated some particular beautiful women. Like, they believe if I didn’t date those girls, they would have a chance”
- Your “friends” on Facebook, people who are on your blogroll, followers on Twitter may not always be the ones you can truly depend on. Accept the fact that you are interesting enough to follow, but real connections are rare.
- It is only possible to maintain a finite amount of connections in your lifetime, at any given time. 1-3 close friends. 10 people you could hang out with at least once a month. 100 shallow connections who may go out with you for drinks now and then. 200 people who may attend a group gathering or a party that you invite them too. 500 people who wouldn’t mind being in a photo with you. About 1000 who wouldn’t mind being seen at the same party as you. 20 million who don’t mind being in the same country as you. And about 5 billion who wouldn’t mind breathing the same air as you.
- The disparity between the people you want to call when you’re feeling upset and the people who will call you when they are feeling upset is not always mutual. Life is like that. Investing an amount of feelings or love towards a person does not always yield equity or reciprocation. In fact, it is usually the opposite in most cases.
- I forgot where I read this, but it always helps me. “Don’t put too much thought into either acceptance or rejection from someone.” They are after all, just another individual and are not a yardstick of how you should measure yourself.
- And finally. “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” - Quote from Dr Seuss
Good night, and good luck. It’s 4:42 AM, and it’s time to sleep. Another day awaits, with new battles to be fought. Ultimately, the war is not with the low ranking privates who think they are commanders, but the war is internal - your own assessment of people and how you choose to value, and plan your interactions with them and the assessing the emotions and information that you entrust them with.
Hi I’m Josh Lim and this is what I do all day.
Advertlets, Celebrities, Parties & Events, Personal Experiences, Sharing March 12th, 2010
If you read this blog sometimes you will think all I do is party. Actually, that’s only half true. Because it’s pointless for me to put pictures of me working at my desk. And, well, my work is pretty damn fun, despite the long hours. Here’s a few of the pictures I’ve taken in the course of “work” with Advertlets, the blog advertising company I founded. All these were in the past few days actually. Past few days have been pretty busy, but as the quote on one of my friends on Facebook says…“I’m too blessed to be stressed”.
This was at the Alice In Wonderland Tea Party at KLCC, we were invited by Disney to bring our bloggers cover the event. During the interview, I was asked “What is your version of Wonderland?”. I said “It’s probably like what I’m doing now, except with more money and cars”. As life is fun, but it would be more fun with an Audi TT. Hehe.
Earlier today, I met some actual Googlers including Stephanie Hsu, John Stona & Dinesh Jain. They are based in the Google Singapore and India offices. This was at the Google Analytics Masterclass. A lot of people attended, including the familiar faces you’ll see at SMCKL or Digital Wednesday. A mix of advertising agency people, bloggers, social media enthusiasts, programmers, and web & marketing people.
Trivia: Did you know that Google’s only fulltime employee in Malaysia, Hanson Toh (not pictured here) has a son named Josh? Yup just Josh, not Joshua. He was named after film stars Josh Harnett & Josh Duhamel. Josh is a good name for your son, btw. I’m just saying.
Advertlets also threw sponsored a night for industry friends (yes, the people that give Advertlets ad campaigns, and earn money for bloggers). It was called Digital Wednesday, it’s held every first Wednesday of the month for members of the Digital Media scene including agencies, clients and media planners. it was in conjunction with Advertlets 3rd Anniversary.
If you’re wondering why some of the people look familiar, here’s a breakdown: Josh (me), Jacy from Biotherm (one of our newest clients), Yvonne Sim (yes, FHM Girl Next Door 2010 came by t help us out with the event too!), James Chong, head honcho of Ruumz, Rebecca Saw (Advertlets), Hanie Hidayah (Advertlets).
You can read more about it here at ADOI Magazine:
Digital Wednesday is now the hottest party in town!
Advertlets Celebrates 3rd Anniversary, rocks Digital Wednesday!
Here’s another photo of what else happened that night. Together with our staff, we also invited Advertlets bloggers as well as blogger celebrities Andrea Fonseka and Belinda Chee to host the event.
And…Hello Kitty time!
This is the only photo you’ll see of me carrying a Hello Kitty bag, ever. Thanks so much to Elena Hong (she’s the girl in red with the nice hair) from Che Che New York for inviting me.
This was at the Mid Valley event for Alice in Wonderland. Heidi won a massive “Alice In Wonderland” book!
(The names in bold have blogged about the event too!)
Top Row: Heidi Tan, Dila Ariff, Rebecca Saw, Belinda Chee, Amanda Choe, Nasri Lian (UnseenTV), Hanie Hidayah
Bottom Row: Jeremy Choy, Justin Hee, Ridzuan Richie, Josh Lim, Thong Kai, Daniel Anthony
Part of my work also involves meeting beauty queens…
Advertlets is the online partner of Miss Universe Malaysia 2010, and this is basically one of a our various meetings with their glamorous team consisting of Mae, Jojo Lee, Andrea Fonseka (Miss Universe Malaysia 2004) & Eugenie. Go check out www.missuniversemalaysia.com.my
So that concludes it for now. Btw if you think this is fun, why not join us We’re currently looking for interns to help out in events, design & sales. Drop me a line (@joshlim) on Twitter if you’re interested.
And now for something completely different…
General, Sharing February 27th, 2010
Check out this pretty cute video These two girls want to go to Disneyland Hong Kong, and you can help them win. View it below, and if you think it’s good, rate it! (5 stars la of course) highest ratings win! Why should you? Because the girl in the polka dot dress is my sister, and she’s awesome. And the video was directed by my other sister. And yes, I am the oldest girl in my family.
Remember to rate it here yeah?
Bonus: If you like props, Owl City and plasticine:
Tags: cncjetset
English Translation of Utusan article on Rais Yatim’s statements on mixed marraige
Celebrities, Sharing February 26th, 2010
Based on this article on Utusan. Given that I frequently blog in BM and English, thought it’ll be good to translate this as this seems to be a new story with no versions in the English newspapers as of yet.
Original article here, translation below by Google Translate and refined/reworded by Josh Lim. And of course, see this post for more about the issue. And if anything, let me know if my translation is accurate.
Beware Of Mixed Marraiges
PUTRAJAYA 25 February - The young people, especially artistes/celebrities are reminded to think ‘thousands of times’ before having a mixed marraige because studies have shown that the success rate is only 3:10.
I Met Malaysia’s Biggest Twitter Celebrity, Rais Yatim! (#yorais, Maya Karin, mixed marraige and more)
Celebrities, Sharing February 26th, 2010
I recently went for a launch function where Communications, Culture and Arts Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim was the guest of “honor”. I use honor in quotes because er, well…why don’t you read Eu Veng’s blog for more details.
Okay, maybe I didn’t really meet him. No I didn’t get to talk to him. But as you can see I got close enough to take a picture. Hahaha.
Notice someone with male progressive baldness on the bottom right? Yes, it's him. Rais Yatim!
If you’ve been on Twitter and are following more than 10 Malaysians, chances are you’ve heard of the #yorais hashtag. Heck, the world has heard of it. It’s Malaysia’s second ever trending topic on Twitter. (Rais Yatim has Net users boiling, creates global sensation).
In short, Rais Yatim is “famous” on Twitter because of several things that he has said, and some unwise actions. As you can guess, these are unpopular opinions. These include:
- “Twitter and Facebook are tools of the west and can erode Malaysian culture”
- Making anti-communist statements just as PM Najib was visiting China. Not very smart for bi-lateral relations.
- Prying open a safe left by Tunku Abdul Rahman without informing the late Tunku’s children, or the person that discovered it.
- And most recently he mentioned “7 out of 10 mixed marraiges end in failure. Learn from that. Don’t marry white guys.” (Okay I am paraphrasing but that’s what he is clearly implying.)
To his credit, he has said some things that make sense. Check out the article, he talks about how religion has to be balanced in government schools, and how teachers in government schools need to be improved. And also, that local radio stations must play songs by local bands.
And well, possibily the most truthful one of all:
“Rais: Malaysians aware of online laws but just don’t obey them.”
Yeah, because you’re setting the rules right. How to obey stupid rules? Yo Rais, remember Samy Vellu increased the speed limit because Malaysians kept breaking them? Maybe you should take a cue from him.
But Rais Yatim saying things that make sense, is rare.
Anyway, the #yorais hashtag has recently become popular again, due to Rais’s recent comments on mixed marraiges. They can best be described as misinformed, which is ironic for a Minister of Information.
From Utusan Malaysia:
Menteri Penerangan, Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan, Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim berkata, kajian ilmiah yang dilakukan oleh beberapa ahli sosiologi di negara ini antara 1995 hingga 1998 mendapati dalam setiap 10 perkahwinan campur, hanya tiga berjaya.
Malah, kata beliau, kegagalan perkahwinan campur amat ketara apabila melibatkan pasangan dari kalangan warga kulit putih atau mat saleh.
”Tetapi perkahwinan campur di Malaysia melibatkan si lelaki atau wanita dari kalangan bukan Islam yang kemudiannya memeluk Islam begitu berjaya berbanding kahwin campur dengan warga asing dari barat ini.
”Ini sudah jadi lumrah, jadi, orang muda termasuk kalangan artis boleh mengambil iktibar ini dan sekiranya mahu menelaah kajian ini yang turut dilengkapi dengan panduan, anda boleh mendapatkannya daripada bahagian pendaftaran perkahwinan sivil dari rekod simpanan syariah di Johor dan Wilayah Persekutuan,” katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia hari ini.
Rais ditanya pandangan beliau berhubung keretakan rumah tangga aktres Maya Karin, 31, yang dilaporkan sudah tidak sebumbung dengan suaminya.
Summary in English: Rais Yatim says that according to some sociology study, only 3 in 10 mixed marriages work. The rest fail. He says that it becomes worse if it is an ORANG PUTEH! (white man) Here’s where the statement gets funny: He says that other marriages are okay (to other races, who then embrace Islam because they married a Muslim), but the with the ORANG PUTEH BARAT (white people from the white west world) it doesn’t work. He then goes on to summarize that young people should take it as an example.
As an appropriate visual aid, here’s a picture of Maya Karin, to give you some context.
MAYA KARIN: RAIS YATIM DOES NOT WANT YOU TO MARRY THIS WOMAN!
Er, okay, now I need your focus back. Let me continue…
Here’s his thought process:
1. Maya Karin’s marriage is on the rocks.
2. Maya Karin is in a mixed marraige. (an Italian, Steven David Shorthose)
3. Thereby all mixed marriages will end in failure.
This makes as about much sense as this:
Logic Fallacy
Let’s say one thing. Maya Karin herself is the product of a mixed marraige.
Her parents are still together.
And well, Rais Yatim’s son, Dino Rais (probably named after Rais’s prehistoric pet that he had back then) is currently being sued for not performing his duties as a husband. Also, perhaps the fact that he divorced his wife BY SMS of all things might have something to do with it.
Perhaps he should talk to his son first about the sanctity of marriage before telling Malaysians who to marry.
It’s funny that that Rais Yatim didn’t think of a variety of other reasons why celebrity mixed marraiges fail in Malaysia:
- Celebrities are subject to a higher amount of media scrutiny than most. Buying groceries is tough enough, let alone sustaining a marriage.
- Converting to a religion for someone you love may not always work out well in the long run.
- An increasing amount of marriages in general are failing.
- Beautiful people have more options.
- The younger generation in general do not feel the need to stay in unhappy marraiges as much as their parents before them.
- The possibilities are endless!
Good luck Maya Karin. I hope things pan out well in your favour. It’s unfortunate that Rais Yatim capitalized on your distress to make an unsavory statement that Malaysians don’t agree with.
Let’s summarize this.
It seem that Rais Yatim is just jealous he didn’t get to marry Maya Karin.
Josh, you have to be “this rich” to date me…
Personal Experiences, Sharing February 24th, 2010
Here’s four stories. My stories. About relationships and money.
"Josh Meets The Temptress" - Photo by Juin Hoo
To give you some context, I consider myself fortunate, although I do not have a fortune.
I grew up in SS2, Petaling Jaya. Both my parents work. I’ve always had a maid when I used to stay with my parents. I got to finish my secondary school education, and further education overseas was an option that my parents could afford. Chose not to go though. You could say I’m comfortably middle class.
Maybe even upper middle class. But we live a humble existence. No one in my family drives a car over RM150,000. No expensive jewellry. Terrace house, not bungalow.
You know, the whole “I once cried because I had no shoes, but then I saw a man with no feet” proverb?
One person once remarked that my family must be doing very well to be able to live in SS2. I found it surprising, because I thought it was “normal” and knew of people that lived in much classier areas. It did help put things in context.
Then again, I know I could do better financially, seeing some of the more wealthy people around me that I see regularly, because I’ve also heard of the counter to that proverb: “I once cried because I had no shoes, but then I saw a man with so many shoes that he had no time to wear them all. Then I cried great heaving sobs until I could no longer walk”.
And yes, although my surname is Lim, I am not related to either Lim Goh Tong or Lim Kok Wing. Here are the stories.
Read from it what you wish, but they are all true.
Story 1: Sex Drives
There was this time, 1-2 years ago. Simple story: Met this girl through a friend, she was pretty damn cute. Her name, demeanour, reminded me of a certain Asian Youtube star who does this really cute makeup tutorials. Things seemed to be going well, we seemed to be hitting things off on the phone, online etc, flirting in the clubs, etc. Then I picked her up for our first date in my car a few days later.
Would I get a dream girl to go with my dream car?
I didn’t see her much after that, not for lack of trying and I didn’t know why.
I was curious, so a few months later I talked to her friend. I found out through a friend that she’s used to dating guys with expensive cars and that “my car was the reason”. It seemed to be a pre-requisite of sorts.
Later on I found out that she was mad that her friend told me the reason (the friend eventually confessed to her that she told me), because it made her sound shallow.
But she did not give any other reason.
For some reason, I met one of her ex-boyfriends recently, a handsome chap, which she left for someone else recently too.
To her credit, she lives in a small place which can be best described as the outskirts of town. It’s far. Perhaps she was looking for a knight in a shiny white expensive car to rescue her from her humble existence. Not a boy in a Proton. I don’t blame her, but it was then easier to forget her given that she’ll judge me based on something like that.
My car, is a humble car la. It runs, it has tires and all windows are intact. And it’ll do for now.
As an entrepreneur, sometimes you have to make a decision that how people perceive you is less important than what you actually have (or will have in future). While the curious side of me wonders what is the minimum effective type of vehicle needed to date her (eg Civic can? Second hand Audi can? Above RM160,000 can?), knowing her reason, made it easier for me to just fuggedaboutit.
Suggested additional reading from this blog: The Mistress, The BMW and The Lesson.
Story 2: Ambition & Skill Of The 3 Ex-Boyfriends
This was her favourite soft toy. His name is Checkers. He is a little dog, not a bear.
5 years ago. I was but a young boy, albiet one with my own business.
She was an advertising account executive, older than me by a bit, a Subang girl, and sometime reality TV star. (There was a precursor to Malaysian Dreamgirl, similiar in concept).
She was also my longest-term ever girlfriend. While the relationship had its up and downs, I think deep down we really did love each other at some point.
She said this to me, which I still remember clearly:
“My first boyfriend, he no ambition but no skill, so I doubted he could go anywhere”.
“My second boyfriend, he had ambition but no skill, and after a while I lost faith”.
“And you, my third boyfriend, the reason I’m with you is because you seem to possess both”.
I remember taking her shopping often enough, but she ended up leaving me for a white expat living in designer condo in KL.
He was very much below her usual standards lookswise (I’ve seen her ex-boyfriends), so it doesn’t take too much to guess the reason why she traded me in for an older, fatter boyfriend.
To her credit, marriage and a “stable guy” was important to her. Last I heard she’s hit 30, not married, but in a relationship. But not with that expat guy.
Story 3: The Career Question From The Girl Across The Table
If you ask stupid questions, sometime buying me a drink helps.
12 years ago. Meeting a girl for the first time. It was at the then Chill Club in Phileo Damansara. Which was pretty happening in it’s day. I remember the conversation went this way, after a few words in:
Girl: So what do you do?
Me: I’m a freelance web designer. (this was true at the time).
Girl: Oh, so you don’t have a steady income?
Me: (I forgot what I said to this…but don’t blame me, hello what would you say to this?)
Girl: “said something, wasn’t too comfortable”
In retrospect, I should have said something like “Oh, so you don’t have any manners?”. But I remember not saying anything in particular, and I remember right after that (to her credit) she bought me a drink. I think she felt guilty for being rude. Especially because she was talking to me from across the table.
But it’s not too hard to see what she was thinking. She seemed interested (perhaps from a physical viewpoint - I used to be a lot fitter okay) - but it was pretty obvious that she was looking for someone with money, from what she inadvertedly blurted out. I didn’t bother asking for her number.
Suggested additional reading from this blog: Ask Josh! How Much Should Dating Cost Nowadays?
Story 4: The New Girl
Dear, I guess I don't need to give you a thousand of these right? :)
I met another girl recently in the past week. I think she’s special. The chemistry was pretty incredible. The way we met and what we discovered about each other seems beyond chance. And I think we’re gonna go out on our first date very soon. She said something to me that really made sense the first time she saw me.
Let’s say that even though she’s young, she’s experienced quite a bit of heartbreak. And despite what she’s been through in the the past, she strikes me as smart, funny and level-headed. She’s not conventionally pretty, but she is beautiful.
Here’s what she said to me:
“I want a rich guy. But I don’t want him to be rich yet when he meets me first”.
“I want to be with him as he grows rich”.
You know what? I can live with that.
Because honey, dammit, I want to be rich too in time as much as you want me to.
And I want to be marry and get old, fat and rich with you, or a girl who thinks like you, dear. Because then, that’ll be worth it.
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